Joe's Tale
by Thomas Mc
Summary: Joe becomes involved with an ex-denizen of the tunnels just when things turn nasty on a current case. This is a sequel to 'A New Life' and a prequel to 'A Mother’s Diary'.
1. The New Girl

**Joe's Tale**_  
By Thomas Mc_

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_**Note**: The first chapter of this story was inspired by and uses some elements from 'If I forget thee, oh Jerusalem' by Toni Lichtenstein Bogolub. It is not however related to her story line.  
_

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**The New Girl**

Catherine grumbled as she pulled open one of the filing cabinet drawers. Right at this moment, she would have gladly throttled Geonelly with her bare hands just to save the state the expense of a trial and herself the hassle of all this paperwork. The Geonelly case had turned into a real can of worms and Joe had half the office working on it. When Gabriel's organization had collapsed after he died, it had left a huge power vacuum in the underworld and Geonelly had stepped in. Where Gabriel had been icily Machiavellian, Geonelly was course and brutal. Now after two years they were finally about to bring him down. Catherine had become involved when ties were found between the Geonelly gang and the attempted dock workers union takeover of four years ago.

Catherine heard a female voice asking directions to Joe's office. She turned from the drawer she had been digging through and looked up to see a young woman being directed by one of the other workers. Was it a witness or Joe's latest girlfriend. She knew that Joe and Diana had never really gotten serious about each other. Sometimes she wondered which of those two changed companions the most often. At present it seemed to be a toss up.

The young woman was very tall with long strawberry blond hair, slender, very pretty and appeared to be somewhere in her early to mid twenties. She wore a western style shirt, a knee length denim skirt, and gray cowboy cut boots. She looked like she had just wandered off of a western movie set. Her hazel eyes were dancing with barely contained merriment. Catherine also noticed a scar on the back of the woman's left arm that reminded her of a road rash she had once seen on a friend that had been in a motorcycle accident.

Catherine watched as the woman approached the closed door to Joe's office, knocked, and giggled as she waited for a response. Catherine smiled to herself. She must be a witness, because she certainly was nothing at all like Joe's usual type.

She heard Joe's voice from inside call, "Come in!".

Catherine edged herself over to get a better view of the inside of Joe's office. Joe was seated at his desk, his left elbow resting on a desk that was covered with a blizzard of paper and books. His head was propped against his left hand and his other hand was busily scribbling away on a yellow legal pad. His coat was draped across the back of his chair. His collar open, his tie loose and hanging slightly off center. In other words he looked just the same as always when deep into a case. Joe looked up to see who it was.

The woman greeted him. "Hi, Joe!" There was a great deal of joy in her voice.

"Sammy?" Joe was on his feet, moving toward her. "What are you doing here?"

Catherine, could tell that Joe was certainly surprised. Then the young woman was in Joe's arms, pressed against him, and Joe was kissing her very thoroughly. Well he was obviously pleased to see her which answered that question. Definitely a new girlfriend. When they both came up for air, the woman Joe had called Sammy asked Joe if he was available for lunch.

Joe looked at the piles of paper on his desk, and Catherine could almost see him mentally weighing the work load vs the girl. The girl won. "Sure." He went to his chair, to get his jacket. Joe looked over and caught Catherine's eye. He took Sammy's hand, and walked over to where she was standing. "Cathy, I'd like you to meet Samantha Johnson ... Sammy, this is Catherine Chandler."

A surprised look crossed Samantha's face, and quickly disappeared, as Joe had spoken Catherine's name. Samantha smiled, held out her hand, and said, "I'm so glad to meet you." Catherine could see in her face that Sammy's pleasure was genuine.

Catherine smiled back and replied. "It's nice to meet you, too."

Placing one arm around Samantha's waist, Joe announced, "I'm going out to lunch, Radcliffe." Then they started toward the door

The thing that Catherine found most interesting, was how totally different Sammy was from the type of girl Joe normally dated. Usually they were short, petite, dark haired and sophisticated. Sort of like Diana and herself. Sammy was as tall as Joe, blond and appeared to be a bit more spontaneous.

Catherine also thought that she had not seen Joe looking this happy since that time he had fallen for Erica Salvin. She hoped that this time things would turn out better for him.

~ o ~

As Joe and Sammy rode down the elevator she asked, "Isn't that the same Catherine Chandler I've read about in the newspapers?"

"Probably." Was Joe's only response.

"You never told me that the Cathy you always talk about was a beautiful rich heiress" She gave him a mock scowl. "I think I may be jealous." She poked him playfully in the ribs.

"She's already got someone." He smiled at her.

"She does?" Samantha remarked. "I thought I read that she was unattached. Who's the guy?"

"Don't know." Joe frowned. "Never met him."

Looking at him critically, Sammy chuckled. "Poor Joe, so protective. She must be that little non-sister that your sister was teasing you about, last week."

Joe shrugged as he smiled at her. "I do care about her and I can't help wondering why she is keeping this guy such a secret. I don't think she's in danger or in trouble because she has been so happy lately, but I still wonder."

Sammy gave him a rather enigmatic look. "Everybody has their secrets. You just have to trust that they have good honest reasons for them."

"And do you have secrets?" He asked in a teasing voice.

"Ah. If I told you, they wouldn't be secrets any more and I would loose all my mystery." She shot back.

Joe rolled his eyes.

~ o ~

Catherine and Vincent were sitting in their rooftop garden, looking out over the park and talking about their day. Eventually the topic of Joe's new girlfriend came up. Catherine was describing the girl to Vincent. "... was quite pretty overall but I would never have pegged her as Joe's type. When they came out of his office, Joe looked so happy. Vincent, you should have seen the way he looked at her. And his girlfriend, he said her name was Samantha Johnson, seemed like she really liked him, too. It's been a while since I've seen him smile like that."

"Sammy always could brighten your day." Vincent looked at her, a hint of amusement and mischief in his eyes, and in his emotions.

Catherine glanced over at Vincent in surprise. "You know her? ... I've never seen her below before. Is she a Helper?"

Vincent smiled back at her. "Not exactly. Her mother was pregnant with her when she first came to us. She was on the run from some very evil men that the law couldn't touch. Sammy was born two months later and lived with us until about ten years ago." Vincent's eyes developed a far away look. "I still miss her."

"Now that you mention it I do remember hearing the term 'Our Sammy' once or twice, usually having something to do with cheerfulness, but I've never heard anything about her." Catherine looked to Vincent for an explanation.

Vincent looked down for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. "Her mother died when she was four years old. It was a bad case of pneumonia combined with extremely serious complications. After her mother's death she was cared for by the whole community like all the other orphans we have taken in. To me though she was always like a little sister and we became even closer after Devin left. I have never seen anyone who loves life as much as her, and she wanted everyone else to love it just as much. She was always there whenever someone needed cheering up. Everything she did, she did it with enthusiastic abandon."

Vincent appeared to be lost in thought for a moment until Catherine, sensing the emotional turmoil within him, touched his shoulder, drawing him back to the present. He stared at her for a moment then shook himself.

"Catherine, it was Sammy that helped me get through that dark time after I hurt Lisa. I had retreated into those lower caverns and had just begun to feel the effects of the madness when she came after me. She was only ten years old at the time. At one point, she fell down a long steep incline and skinned up her arm pretty badly but she didn't let it stop her. She just tore off a piece of her shirt and wrapped it up then continued down after me. That is where that scar along the back of her left arm came from. For three days, she just sat there nearby and talked to me. Her voice was like a beacon drawing me back and keeping me from being swallowed by the darkness. I don't think I would have made it otherwise."

Vincent sighed. "To this day I **still **think of her as my little step sister. It was a great loss to me when she had to leave."

Catherine shivered at the sadness she could feel coming over their link from him. Seeing her shiver, Vincent wrapped his cloak around them both. Then Catherine asked, "Vincent, why did she leave the Tunnels?"

"As a young teen, Sammy was often ill, always coughing. When she was fifteen she developed pneumonia three times in six months. It left her very weak. After that, Father sent her Above to live with a couple of our helpers. Father wasn't willing to take a chance on loosing her the same way we had lost her mother. A helper couple, took her in and took good care of her. Dr. Peter sent her to a specialist where it was discovered that she had two problems. She has asthma and she is very allergic to a normally harmless type of mold that is very common down there. It's just not healthy for her to stay Below for any length of time." Vincent appeared to be looking off into the distance or perhaps into the past. "Father was very strict with her and would allow her to come Below only on special occasions, and only for a couple of hours. If she so much as cleared her throat in anyone's presence, it was back Above immediately."

Catherine was puzzled. "You said you still missed her and I have never seen her at any of the special occasions that I've been to."

"She lives in Connecticut now. The last time she visited Below was for Winterfest three years before your first one. She had only been there a little less than an hour when she had a very severe attack. It was worse than any before. She was having so much trouble breathing, we thought we were going to loose her. I carried her out of there as fast as I could. Once I got her to the surface, Peter took over and drove her to the emergency room at St. Vincent hospital. Fortunately they were able to help but she still developed a bad case of pneumonia. She was in the hospital for eight days and it was a close thing. She hasn't gone down Below since." Vincent paused for a while. "Once she recovered, she went to live in Connecticut with the sister of the helpers she had been staying with. Last I heard, she was working in a small clothing store there and doing well."

Vincent stood there looking out into the park for a long time. Catherine could feel the emotions of affection and melancholy flowing through him. Wrapping her arms around him, she hugged him tight, while she projected her love and sympathy to him over their link.

Finally he spoke again. "I wonder how she came to know your Joe."

~ BB ~

Catherine was up to her elbows in legal briefs, file folders and scribbled notes on several sheets of yellow paper. Over the last few days, the Geonelly case had come to a head and several members of the gang including their leader had been arrested the previous day. Noticing the time, Catherine closed the file she was studying, stretched, and straightened her desk. It was still a bit before five o'clock but it was Friday and she had plans. She still had plenty of time, but she had no intention of missing her date with Vincent.

This would be their first night out together since the birth of the twins. Jamie and Mouse had offered to baby-sit. Though Father had frowned at the idea of trusting Mouse with the babies, Catherine had complete faith in them. Mouse seemed to have become a lot more responsible in the last year. She suspected that Jamie had a lot to do with that change in him. Her thoughts then turned to Vincent. They would soon be listening to the music from beneath the park. She felt the tension of the day starting to melt away as she put the last of the files in the their stacks.

As she grabbed her jacket, she heard, "Leaving on time for a change, Radcliffe?" She looked up to see Joe standing near her desk holding a stack of file folders. "Must have a date with that fella of yours."

"As a matter of fact, Joe, I do." Catherine no longer denied having a special guy, at least to Joe, though she still refused to divulge any details.

Catherine then noticed that Joe had his jacket and his tie on and it was straight. "Leaving on time for a change, Joe?" Catherine inquired, a hint of a smile sneaking across her face as she remembered her introduction to Sammy just two days ago. "Must have a date with that gal of yours."

"Sammy is meeting me here." Was his response.

Catherine's smile widened and there was definitely a twinkle of merriment in her eyes now. "OK, Joe, spill it. Who is she. How long have you known her and how did you meet?" She got a look of mock severity. "I want details."

Joe laughed as he held up his hands to ward off the expression on her face. "OK Radcliffe, I surrender."

Joe's expression turned thoughtful. "I was visiting my sister two months ago, in Bridgeport Connecticut. She has one kid and a husband who travels for a living. Her husband was late getting back from a business trip and the kid was sick." Joe shook his head. "So, I offered to pick up the groceries for her." He smiled. "I know it sounds trite, but we collided shopping carts in the grocery store. I looked up into those eyes and all I could do was stammer out a garbled apology. Then I beat a hasty, embarrassed retreat. When I finally got to the checkout line, there were several people in front of me. I was getting irritated because the line was moving so slow when she got into line behind me. She said. 'so we meet again,' then she smiled. Her face lit up, and I felt a warm glow spread though me. Suddenly I didn't care how long the line was."

"I started talking to her, babbling really, anything to keep her attention. After I got to my car, I realized that I had not asked her name or number. I ran back inside but she had already gone. I think I called myself every colorful name in the book on my way back out to my car."

Catherine laughed. "Poor Joe, sounds like you had it bad."

Joe looked chagrined. "I know. Me! Totally befuddled by a girl. Anyway, I went to the pharmacy to pickup the kid's prescription and as I'm walking in the front door, I see her pulling away from the drive up window. I know she looked right at me as she pulled into the street. After the pharmacy I pulled into a gas station to fill-up the car. One minute later she pulls up to the pump next to me. When she got out of her car we both looked at each other in surprise. The first thing she said was 'Are you following me or am I following you?' I think my exact response was 'um ... um ... um' "

"That sounds like a pretty lame pickup line to me." Catherine's eyes were dancing with amusement.

"Yea, I know. So then she says, 'Well, Mister ...' I finally got it together enough to reply. 'Maxwell. Joe Maxwell.' And then she said, 'Well, Joe Maxwell, as long as you're following me around, what exactly do you have on your mind.' Then out of the blue I just asked her if she was busy for dinner. She said she was. I think I said something like 'Oh'. Then much to my surprise she said she was having dinner with me. Then she told me her name was Sammy," He shrugged. "and the rest is history."

Before Catherine could respond, Joe stepped away from her desk, waved toward the elevators, and called, "Sammy!"

Samantha started towards them. All of Vincent's tales from the previous night ran through Catherine's head. She looked at Joe; her boss looked younger, and less hard-edged. There was a happiness there now that she had only seen a couple of times before. Sammy reached Joe's side, threw her arms around him, and kissed him. To Catherine it was obvious that Sammy and Joe were very deeply in love despite only knowing each other for such a short time. Maybe this one would last for a while.

Catherine wanted to tell Sammy in some way that she knew of her and the tunnels, but there was no opportunity. Sammy fit herself comfortably against Joe's side. She smiled at Catherine. "Hello, Miss Chandler." She cocked her head. "I've read a few articles about you in the papers and Joe's told me a little bit about you."

"I'm afraid that's me. And it's Cathy to my friends, please." She glanced at her watch. "I've got to get going. I'm meeting a friend." She started towards the elevators. "You two have a good weekend."

"That wouldn't be that elusive fellow you're so secretive about, would it, Radcliffe?" Joe smiled.

Catherine halted in her tracks. "Ah, that would be telling." Then she turned at the sound of the elevator doors opening. With a cheery wave she entered and pressed the button for the lobby.

Sammy looked at Joe. "What was that all about?"

"Cathy's secret fellow." He shook his head. "Some day I'm going to solve that little mystery." He gave a quick snort of a laugh. "The solution will probably end up being boringly simple." He raised the file folders he was holding. "Let me put the rest of these away and then we'll go."

~ o ~

As Catherine moved through the scattered concert goers, during intermission with her load of hotdogs, chips and drinks, she spotted Joe. He was sprawled on his side on a blanket, his head propped up on his fist. Sammy lay on her back next to him with her head pillowed on his folded jacket. Joe gazed down at her as though not quite sure how or why this miracle had come to him. It reminded Catherine of the way Vincent sometimes looked at her. She could tell that they were deep in some conversation but she was too far away to hear it and she didn't want to disturb them or for that matter call attention to herself. She continued on into the concrete drainage pipe, and down to the iron gate and secret door where Vincent awaited her.

As they strolled back toward their listening place beneath the grate, she told him about what she had seen. "I'm so glad for him, Vincent. Joe is a good man, he deserves to be happy."

"If Sammy loves him, then he must be a very good man. She was always a flawless judge of character, much like your friend, Jenny." Vincent smiled.

"I wish you could see them together, Vincent." She had a wistful look on her face.

"It may happen, Catherine, perhaps someday . . ."

"Anything is possible, Vincent . . . since I found you, " she replied.

Then the second half of the concert began, and they nestled into their secret spot among the pillows and blankets and enjoyed their junk food dinner. Soon they were surrounded by the beauty of the music and the warmth of their love for each other.

~ o ~

After the concert ended Joe and Sammy walked around the park for a while. Joe felt he was walking ten feet off the ground. He kept reminding himself that he wasn't dreaming, Sammy really was planning to spend the whole weekend with him. After the traffic had thinned out, they got a taxi. First they went to the office so Joe could pick-up some papers on the Geonelly case. He wanted to look them over during the weekend so he would be ready for the preliminary hearing on Monday. They both went up to his office. Joe quickly gathered up the files he wanted. Then Sammy got playful. After several ticklish minutes they went back down to the Taxi. Neither of them noticed the five men in the dark sedan parked across the street.

As the taxi headed towards Joe's apartment, the dark sedan pulled in behind them. While they sat at a traffic light near where the concert had been just an hour and a half ago. Joe found himself gazing out at the park in amazement, remembering how, during the intermission, Sammy had suggested that she would like to spend the weekend with him. He had agreed but had told her that he would still have to do some preparation for court Monday. He had originally intended to spend Saturday at the office, until Sammy had suggested a better alternative for the weekend.

Joe was looking around marveling at how the whole world was brighter when he was with Sammy. As he looked towards the car sitting next to them at the traffic light it took a moment before the face of one of Geonelly's men and a gun coming up to point at him from the car's window registered.

Grabbing Samantha, he pushed her down to the seat. At the same time he yelled "**GUN!**", three shots were fired and they were showered with shattered glass.

Joe pushed the other door open and dove out of the taxi pulling Sammy with him. Joe noticed four men getting out of the dark car as Samantha hollered "**This way!**" and started dragging him into the park. Two more shots rang out as, with the squealing of tires, the taxi raced trough the intersection and away from danger. Joe now had no choice but to follow Sammy as they ran towards the band shell. The gunmen were momentarily delayed as a large truck came barreling around the corner, right into their path. Twice Joe and Sammy tripped and fell to the freshly watered ground as they ran past the place where they had enjoyed the concert just a few hours earlier. Joe noticed that Sammy seemed to know where she was leading them.

Just a short way beyond the band shell, Sammy pulled Joe into a great concrete drainage pipe. She took him several yards down the pipe to a place where several tunnels came together. To one side of the intersection was a very short three foot deep section that had an iron gate blocking off the entrance. Sammy went over to the gate, reached through it and began fumbling along the wall. Joe was about to ask her what she was doing when there was a metallic click and the iron gate swung free. At the same time with a low rumble the back wall of the short section slid aside revealing a lighted tunnel beyond. She pulled a stunned Joe into the tunnel closing the gate behind them and shaking it to be sure it had locked. Then she pushed a button just past where the false wall had been and what he now understood to be a secret door slid shut behind them. Joe was completely flabbergasted as he wondered where she could be leading him.

_**Continued in Part 2**_

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'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	2. Down The Rabbit Hole

**Joe's Tale  
**_By Thomas Mc_

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** Down The Rabbit Hole**

Joe stared, stunned, as the secret door slid shut behind them. The first thing that went through his mind was the secret lairs of the James Bond movie villains. He had no idea where Sammy could be leading him. All he knew was that this secret doorway she had just lead him through may have saved both of their lives. Before he had time to think any further about it, she grabbed his hand again and was pulling him down the tunnel.

At the next junction they took a sharp right turn. The new tunnel dead ended in a rectangular chamber, about eight feet to a side, that contained some pillows and blankets carefully folded and piled in a corner. The next thing he noticed was that the chamber was spotless like it had just been cleaned up. He glanced over at Sammy and noticed a secretive smile cross her face as she glanced down at the pile. Then she looked up and, following her gaze, he also looked up. About eight feet up the ceiling was some kind of grill work. Sammy held her finger to her lips indicating the need for silence as she stepped up on a ledge along one wall. When Joe joined her he found that they were looking out onto the park through a narrow three inch gap that ran all the way around the top of the wall. He could see the band shell quite close and also the four men moving about searching the area.

The four men spread out and soon he had lost sight of two of them. A shot rang out somewhere off to the left and he heard one of the men shout, "Damn, I thought I saw them." Then another one of them shouted out from somewhere behind them. "Over here, I think they may have gone down this storm drain."

A quiet but very emphatic, "Rats!" was Sammy's only response. She looked momentarily indecisive as she stood there deep in some internal debate, then, making up her mind and grabbing his hand, she whispered. "This way!"

As she pulled him back down the tunnel, Joe looked back and wondered who else had been in that section they had just left. He looked back at Sammy and finally noticed that she was carrying the folders that he had brought from the office. (Bless her.) Those documents were irreplaceable, the case might very well have gone up in smoke if he had lost them. As he gently took them he said. "I can carry those. Thanks for grabbing them, there would have been hell to pay if I had lost them."

"I knew they were important to you so I grabbed them as you dragged me out of that Taxi." she smiled at him.

Back at the junction she lead them to the right down a new direction. At the next turn the round concrete tunnels gave way to rectangular brick walled tunnels with widely spaced low level electric lighting and various types of pipes and conduits attached to the walls. As Sammy lead Joe further down the new type of tunnel he kept thinking of Alice going down the rabbit hole. A few minutes later they came to a five way junction. She stopped and glanced around with a confused look on her face. "**Rats**! ... It's been too long, I don't remember this section."

She studied the wall for several seconds and finally, nodding her head, she pulled out a pocket knife. Then, much to Joe's surprise, she began tapping on one of the pipes along the wall. From the irregular staccato of the tapping Joe was sure it was some kind of message, but, he had no idea who the message might be intended for. After a couple of minutes of tapping and listening Joe was beginning to wonder if one or both of them had lost their mind. Once Sammy had to stop when she was overcome by a coughing fit. At the next pause Joe was about to ask her what she was doing when he was startled to hear a distinct sound of tapping coming back from that same pipe. For the next few minutes Sammy and the other unknown entity engaged in a two way conversation over that pipe.

Finally the bizarre tapping conference ended and Sammy smiled at Joe. "Now we wait." Her face then became dead serious. "Joe, this is extremely important, I need you to listen to me very carefully." She paused a moment as she gazed searchingly into his eyes. "Some very good people live down here, where we are going, and they would never take in someone that was wrong or evil. I was born and raised here myself. It is a place of safety, a refuge, and you can never tell anyone about it. Some of the people here rely on secrecy for their very lives." She paused again considering her words. "I know that I would have never been born if these people had not hidden my mother from some very bad people that the law couldn't touch. She was running for her life after the police refused to help, when these people found her and took her in." She looked down at the ground for a short time apparently thinking very hard. "We're never supposed to bring an outsider down here unless they've been okayed by the council." Then she looked into Joe's eyes with an intensity that surprised him. "But right now you mean more to me than anything else in the world and this was the only safe place I could think of." She took both his hands as she continued looking him straight in the eyes. "Joe I need you to promise me that you will keep what you've seen here to yourself, please. For my sake ... For our sake."

Joe thought about it for a few seconds, while she studied his face, before he responded. "Sure Sammy, I'll keep your secret. I promise." He pulled her close. "If they raised you, then they must be good people." Then he kissed her, putting a good deal of passion behind it.

She apparently accepted his answer because she kissed him back with equal passion.

They finally broke apart when they heard the sound of someone loudly clearing their throat. They turned to see three people standing in one of the connecting tunnels, grinning broadly. There was a young woman and a young man followed by a larger older man. Their clothing looked to Joe like a strange cross between renaissance faire and street person chic.

The young woman cried out, "Sammy?" And rushed up to hug her.

Sammy greeted the young woman enthusiastically, "Jamie, it is you isn't it? It's so good to see you again. My how you've grown. I could barely recognize you."

The young woman, Jamie, glanced at Joe. "What's going on here?"

Sammy responded, "It's a bit complicated." Then the girls walked over to the two men and there was an urgent conversation. The other three looked at Joe, a hint of suspicion in their eyes. Something Sammy said caused the woman and the older man to look more closely at Joe in surprise. After that the discussion got more intense. Samantha had two coughing spells during the more intense part of the conversation.

Finally the discussion was over. The results were, more or less, announced by the young man. "OK, good. OK, Fine. We'll take."

Sammy came back. "They're not happy about me bringing a stranger down here, but, it seems you are, apparently, already known to them. According to Jamie you already have a champion in someone else down here and are approved on a temporary basis. Jamie and Mouse are going to lead us to a place where, they say, we can reach safety. Jerold is going to check on those other men that were chasing us. He'll make sure they don't find their way in." She looked at Joe speculatively, "I wonder who it is down here that knows you."

With that they started off, Jamie and Mouse in the lead while the older man went back the way Joe and Sammy had come. As they walked along, Sammy, her hand firmly clasped in Joe's, and Jamie exchanged gossip like old friends with Mouse interjecting an occasional comment. Jamie wanted to know how Sammy was doing and how she had hooked up with Joe. Jamie reported that Father was doing fine, William's cooking was better than ever, and the community as a whole had prospered.

At one point, Mouse added that Vincent was doing fantastic and, in a tone of amazement, announced that Vincent was married now. Noticing Sammy's and Jamie's reactions, Joe suspected that they were not happy about Vincent's name being mentioned in his presence. And Samantha seemed positively dumbfounded at the concept of Vincent being married. And who was this Father character? Joe got the impression that they were, both, very important to everyone down here.

Joe's musings were interrupted when Sammy broke into another coughing fit and his thoughts turned back to Sammy. When he had first learned that she had asthma, he had done some research on it. One of the things he had learned was that stress tended to aggravate the condition. Between being shot at and exposing this secret place to him, it wasn't surprising that it had brought on an attack. The one thing he could do for her was to try to alleviate some of the stress. He put his arm around her waist and asked if she was alright. She said she was OK but Joe had noticed the worried look on Jamie's face during the last coughing spell.

Joe was already thoroughly lost when Jamie and Mouse led them down a long set of stone steps. The new section of the tunnels they were now walking through were very old and very deep. Twice he heard what sounded like the subway passing overhead. He also noticed the sound of tapping occasionally coming from the pipes mounted to one wall. Once he saw someone come out of a side passage look at them then disappear down another side passage. Another time he saw a young girl and a, slightly older, young boy come out of another side tunnel.

Jamie stopped them. "Geoffrey, Naomi, what are you doing up so late?"

The boy answered. "Naomi couldn't sleep and she was hungry, so I took her to the kitchen for a snack." The young girl nodded her head then yawned.

Jamie knelt down in front of the girl. "Did you have that nightmare, again?"

Naomi yawned again, shook her head and answered. "Uh, uh, just hungry."

As Joe observed this interchange, something about the little girl tugged at the back of his mind but he just couldn't place her.

"OK, you two go on back to bed." She patted Naomi on the head. "Good night."

Both kids responded with a sleepy, "Good night," Then padded on up the tunnel in the direction that Joe and his escorts had just come down.

"Curiouser and curiouser," Joe said mostly to himself.

Sammy looked over at him, "What?"

Joe shook his head, "Nothing. Just talking to myself." He glanced over his shoulder and saw the two children disappear around a corner. "There aren't any D & D monsters lurking around the corners, I hope." The look of surprise, and then nervous speculation that passed across Sammy's face, as well as the worried look that crossed Jamie's face was not what Joe had expected. "and curiouser." He barely whispered.

Sammy had started to cough more often and Jamie looked back at her, worry now clearly visible on her face. There was a definite wheeze in her cough now and Joe was also starting to get very worried about her.

Finally after about a half hour of walking they were led up a spiral metal stairway. Then they were led down a short tunnel, through another hidden door, up another drain pipe, and out to another part of the park. Samantha had another coughing fit and Jamie, worry plainly showing in her eyes, admonished her. "You go to the doctor and take care of that right away." The two girls hugged. Jamie then pointed. "If you go that way you'll be fine." Then she turned to Joe. "You take good care of our Sammy, OK?"

Joe nodded, he was already thinking in terms of a hospital emergency room if she got any worse.

"Come on Mouse. Bye, Sammy." and with that Jamie and Mouse headed back down the drainage tunnel. Sammy was bemused to notice that Jamie and Mouse were holding hands as they walked away. That was an interesting development. Sammy grabbed Joe's hand and set off in the direction that Jamie had pointed.

Joe looked at Sammy. "Mouse?" He asked, requesting a general explanation.

"Mouse ... is a little bit slow generally, ... but he is a brilliant engineer. If you want anything built, Mouse can design and build it. He designed those hidden doors we went through. He refers to anything more complicated than a screwdriver as a gadget but he knows exactly what it does and how to use it." she was quiet for several seconds then made up her mind. "when Mouse first came to us he was, we think, approximately eight years old, no one really knows his exact age, he had no language at all and he was totally feral. We have no idea how long he had been living in the upper tunnels before Vincent found him. It was Vincent who took him under his wing, taught him to talk, and to read and write, sort of. It was Vincent that recognized his love of mechanical things and encouraged him to learn more. I don't think anyone else could have done so much with him. He's still a little slow but now Jamie says he is a very important member of the planning committee. She tells me that no one would ever start a major construction project without involving Mouse."

Samantha stopped and faced Joe. "You must understand something ... Vincent is very important to them ... To all of us. He and Father are the glue that holds them together. He was like my big brother when I was growing up. I owe my life to Vincent. I was caught in a cave-in and it was Vincent that found me and dug me out. We never talk about Vincent to outsiders for a reason." She paused considering her words carefully. "Vincent's appearance is very unusual. I can't really describe him because you wouldn't believe me if I did, so I'll just say that if he were ever caught up here, Above, he would be killed or worse be locked away in some laboratory for the rest of his life being poked and prodded by a bunch of scientists." She broke into another coughing fit. When it had subsided she continued. "Vincent is, at heart, a gentle soul and deserves to live his life in peace. Down there is the only place where he can do that. Of all the people down there, his welfare is the most dependent on secrecy." She suddenly got a bemused almost disbelieving look on her face. "Vincent married!" She shook her head and continued. "I don't think I could live with myself if anything ever happened to him because of me, so for everyone's sake, you must never mention him to anyone."

Joe agreed though his mind was more on Sammy's increasingly bad cough than on her secretive friends. "OK Sammy, I'll keep your secrets, and I promise not to mention Vincent, whoever he is, to anyone." Samantha smiled then broke into another coughing fit. The night air was getting distinctly cooler and their wet clothing didn't help the situation. Joe was really getting concerned now. Sammy was coughing way too much and he could also hear a slight wheeze in her breathing. "Sammy, are you going to be OK?"

"My asthma." She coughed, "It's the reason I had to leave the tunnels. Something down there is bad for my asthma."

Then as they continued walking he recognized where they were. "That's Cathy Chandler's place." he exclaimed as he pointed across the street. They hurried across and knocked on the door.

~ o ~

Catherine and Vincent were sitting on a blanket on the floor in front of the fireplace. Around them were the remains of a midnight snack. In the background, soft romantic music was playing on the stereo. Catherine was in a very thin sexy negligee and Vincent was down to just his pants. The twins were fast asleep in the nursery. Jamie and Mouse, having discharged their babysitting duties, had left around two hours ago. The conversation had wandered around to the relationship between Mouse and Jamie. They had always been friends ever since Mouse had first become part of the community. It was an excepted axiom that to find one all you had to do was find the other. Jamie had a gift for engineering and was always conspiring with Mouse over some new project. The last year however had seen a subtle shift. Now when they were together they could often be seen holding hands. It looked like their friendship had developed romantic overtones. Catherine was expressing her opinion on why the shift when they were surprised by the sound of knocking at the front door.

Catherine was annoyed and a bit worried by the interruption, this evening had been showing such potential. "Who in the world could that be at this time of night?" She commented as she grabbed the remote and flipped on the TV then turned to the channel that carried the image from the new front door security camera. "Why it's Joe and Samantha." Then more to herself, "This is damn inconvenient timing." She got up, grabbed her robe, threw it on and started for the door. Meanwhile, Vincent had removed the evidence of their romantic picnic by the simple expedience of grabbing the four corners of the blanket and lifting. He was already halfway up the stairs as she reached the door. With a quick glance back to be sure Vincent was out of sight Catherine reached to open the door.

As the door swung open Catherine was shocked by their condition. Their clothes were torn, filthy and wet. Their faces were scratched and dirty. "Joe, Sammy, you look terrible. What happened to you?"

Joe responded, "We were just shot at by some of Geonelly's men. I need to use your phone."

Catherine opened the door wide and stepped back. "Of course, Joe. Both of you come in."

Joe went straight to the phone while Samantha stood in the middle of the room astounded by the rich simple elegance of the place. She looked around uncertainly. "I'm afraid I'm a mess. I don't want to sit on any of your beautiful furniture." Samantha punctuated her words with another coughing spell.

"No problem." Catherine replied. "I'll go get a couple of blankets. You stand over by the fire and warm up."

Catherine ran up the stairs. About three minutes later she came down carrying three blankets. One of the blankets she laid across the sofa. The second blanket she laid across Samantha's shoulders and the third she draped across Joe's shoulders. When she came back to Samantha, Catherine noticed that she was having difficulty breathing.

"Are you OK? Can I get anything for you?" Catherine asked, concern very evident in her face.

"I forgot my asthma medicine. When we were escaping from the gunman ..." She coughed again. "I left it in the taxi."

At this point Joe came over. "You thought to grab my files but forgot your inhaler?" He smacked the file folders against his leg, shaking his head.

"Those files are important to you." Samantha responded then coughed.

"**You're** more important to me." He shook his head again in agitation, "Radcliffe, what am I going to do with her?"

Catherine asked Samantha, "Who is your doctor."

"I go to a specialist in Connecticut, but I used to go to a Dr. Alcott here in New York." She broke into another coughing fit.

"Dr. Peter Alcott?" Catherine and Joe both responded together.

Samantha nodded, a little startled that Catherine and Joe both knew her doctor.

Catherine went to the phone and dialed. "He lives very close to here."

"Hello, Peter, It's Catherine, I'm sorry if I woke you." ...  
"I've got a previous patient of yours at my place and she seems to be having an asthma attack." ...  
"Yes, just a little, but it seems to be getting worse and she has lost her inhaler and I'm getting a little worried." ...  
"Her name is Samantha Johnson." ...  
"Yes, that's right." ...  
"That's wonderful, Thank you, Peter. See you soon, Bye"

Catherine turned to them smiling. "Peter said he has just what you need and he'll be right over in about ten minutes." She indicated for them both to sit down. "Now, what's going on?"

Joe gave a pretty accurate account of the events, but Catherine noticed that he didn't really say how they got from the band shell to her front door.

"What did the Police say?" Asked Catherine.

"They're already combing the area around the band shell. Somebody in the area reported gunshots. They'll question the cabbie as soon as they track him down." Sammy was coughing again as Joe looked on concerned, then he continued. "The police will be sending a cruiser to take a preliminary statement and to take us home. It should be here in about an hour or so."

Catherine got them both hot tea and stoked up the fire to keep them warm. As she sat down opposite them, Joe caught a quick glimpse of the sheer negligee under her robe. That was not something you wore to sleep alone. Then he turned his attention back to Sammy when she coughed again.

Finally there was a knock at the door. When Catherine opened it, Dr. Peter Alcott rushed in and went straight to Samantha. He was carrying an old fashioned black doctors bag which he opened and took out some instruments. He gave Samantha a quick cursory examination then he pulled an inhaler out of his bag and gave it to her. He watched while she used it then he pulled out a hypodermic syringe. "This will help you recover quicker and prevent any complications from developing."

Samantha was already breathing easier. "I'm feeling much better now Doctor." Then she looked at Catherine. "How do you know Dr. Alcott?"

"Oh! We're well acquainted." Peter grinned. "In fact the first time we met she was totally naked."

Catherine put her head in her hands, shook it and groaned as Joe chuckled. He had heard that one once before.

"Oh, you mean you delivered her, too?" Samantha giggled. "He tells that same joke about me." Then she looked at Peter. "One of these days that joke is going to backfire on you."

Samantha and Catherine were both looking at Peter and missed the startled look in Joe's face as he glanced back and forth between Samantha and Peter. Peter said that he had delivered Sammy . . . Sammy said that she had been born down in those tunnels. His mind was turning those two facts over. That implied that Doctor Peter Alcott must know about those tunnels.

While looking around Joe noticed two glasses and a half empty bottle of wine on the fireplace mantle at about the same time he thought he heard the faint sound of movement upstairs. Catherine jumped up. "Well who wants a snack?" She called over her shoulder as she headed into the kitchen. A few minutes later she came out with a tray full of finger foods and glasses of water.

The four of them sat around trading small talk while waiting for the police to arrive. Joe was sitting as close to Samantha as he could without actually sitting on her, and he kept touching and squeezing her hand. Catherine knew Joe well enough to know that meant he was deeply concerned. Peter was also watching Samantha very closely without being too obvious about it.

Finally the police showed up. They asked Joe and Samantha several questions about the attack then they left, taking Joe and Samantha back home. As they were walking out Joe leaned over and whispered to Catherine. "Say goodbye to your husband upstairs for me." And he was out the door while Catherine just stood there stunned. Finally she recovered enough to close the door.

"Is Sammy going to be alright?" Catherine asked concerned, "Joe has become very attached to her."

Peter smiled, "I'm sure we got to her before it could develop into anything serious. By the way, where's Vincent?"

"He's upstairs." Then she hollered out, "It's safe to come down now. It's just me and Peter."

Vincent came down, he had put his shirt back on, and they swapped gossip for a little while. Then Peter asked, "Oh Cathy what did Joe say to you at the door that surprised you so."

"He asked me to say goodbye to my husband upstairs. I think he saw those two wine glasses and he may have heard Vincent moving around up there. He's seen little Jennifer and I know he suspects that I'm secretly married."

Peter chuckled. "I don't think you're going to be able to keep him in the dark too much longer, Cathy."

Catherine frowned. "I know, Peter, and I hate keeping him at arms length like this. But I **really** hate the idea of forcing him to choose between me and the letter of the law. Legally speaking, Vincent creates quite a problem."

"That quandary may not even come up." Then Peter reminded them, "You know it's about time for the twins to have their six month check-up."

"Well they're going to spend the weekend after next with Father. That would be an ideal time for a check-up. You know Father would be happy to help." Catherine smiled.

Peter chuckled, "Yes, he does fuss over them so." He snagged one last bite and stood up, "Well, I think it's time for me to head home." And he started for the Door.

After Catherine closed the door behind him, she turned to Vincent, dropped her robe, and smiled. "Now, where were we?"

_**Continued in Part 3**_

* * *

'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


	3. Epiphany

**Joe's Tale**_  
By Thomas Mc_

* * *

** Epiphany**

As Joe stepped into the police cruiser behind Sammy, he thought about the sounds he had heard upstairs. He was sure that Cathy was married, though he didn't know who it was, and he had already seen her daughter. He wondered if that husband might be Cathy's Vincent that he had once overheard her calling out for ... Joe was stunned as it hit him '_ - Cathy's Vincent? - _' Joe looked over at Sammy. '_ - Sammy's Vincent?_ - ' The cruiser pulled away. _' - Vincent! - _' Joe's mind went into overdrive as dozens of memories raced through it. All the bits of information from his perpetual 'guess the mystery that was Catherine Chandler' game were dancing around in his head. Now all the things he had learned about Sammy in the last few hours were nudging their way into the mix. Even that little girl, Naomi, brought up some memories.

Noticing the silence, Sammy looked over at Joe and saw a strange unreadable look on his face as he stared back at her. She began to worry about what he might be thinking as he continued to just sit there staring at her. There was something almost frightening about the intensity she saw in his eyes. Was he finally reacting to everything that had just happened to them tonight?

All the data swirling together in Joe's mind began to reorganize itself and suddenly it all fell into place. "**Holy shit!**" The exclamation burst from him involuntarily as he stared at Sammy, his eyes widening in surprise.

Sammy took in the stunned look on his face and became very worried. What if something he had learned tonight would come between them? She didn't think she could take losing him now. She couldn't stand the suspense. "Tell me Joe, what is it?"

Joe took her hand. "Not here Sammy, wait 'til we're back at the apartment." He still had that look of stunned surprise on his face but there was also a feeling of loving tenderness in the way he put his arm around her shoulders, trying to reassure her.

All the rest of the way back to his apartment, Samantha worried. What had Joe figured out that could have caused such a startled reaction? How would it effect them? She had been so careful about what she had told him. Although they had let Vincent's name slip out she was sure that she had not told Joe anything substantial about him except how important he was to her. She couldn't help worrying that their relationship had received a serious blow, though he also continued to hold her hand and occasionally gave her reassuring, though slightly distracted, smiles.

Joe could plainly see the look of worry on her face and he wanted ease her mind but he couldn't talk about it in front of those police officers. He wasn't even entirely sure about what he had concluded. All he could do now was hold her and smile reassuringly at her.

Meanwhile his mind continued to boil with conflicting thoughts. He kept bouncing back and forth between '_It can't possibly be true._' and '_It all fits._' He shook his head to try to clear it. Of all the crazy, off-the-wall conclusions he had come up with in three years of his 'guess the mystery of Cathy' game, nothing came close to the absurdity of this one. But despite that, it just fit together so well. Suddenly every oddity, every observation, every unexplainable occurrence, made complete sense, in a crazy kind of way. It all depended on whether Sammy could supply the final, and most incredible, piece that would confirm all his conclusions.

This time he really had followed Alice (Sammy) down the rabbit hole and now his head was spinning as he was trying to believe seven impossible things, (and one was a whopper), before breakfast.

Finally the police car pulled up to Joe's apartment building. The police officers went with them up to his apartment to make sure it was safe. Once the officers were satisfied that no bad guys had invaded or lay in wait, they left.

As soon as the door was closed Sammy pounced. "Okay Joe, what was that all about?"

Joe gazed at her for a while and just as she was ready to scream at him, just to get a reaction, he spoke. "Before I tell you, I have to ask you a, very absurd, question and I need you to tell me the absolute truth." The look on Joe's face was very earnest now.

Sammy found herself getting quite nervous. "I'll try." She responded, almost meekly, afraid of what his question might be. What if it was a question about her friends or the tunnels that she could not answer? Would her need to keep their secrets, cost her this wonderful man?

Joe took a deep breath and let it out. "This Vincent of yours ..." He hesitated. "Does he by any chance ..." He shook his head. This would sound so insane, especially if his conclusions were all wet. And if he was right, would delving into her secrets drive her away? Would he lose this beautiful woman because of her need to protect those secrets?

He took another deep breath and dived in. "Does Vincent by any chance appear to be half human and half lion?" There. It was out.

Sammy's face registered surprise, fear, shock and disbelief. Slowly, in a very quiet voice, she responded. "How did you know?" Her heart was in her throat and pounding in her chest at the same time as she held her breath. What would he do now? Joe appeared to be as stunned by her response as she had been by his question. When he finally reacted it was nothing like what she had feared or even hoped for. Suddenly Joe let out with a belly laugh that shook the whole apartment. Slowly he collapsed into a nearby chair as his laughter continued rolling unabated. Sammy was becoming worried when he finally managed to pull himself together.

When he could again speak, Joe wiped the tears from his eyes, shook his head and looked up at her. "I'm sorry, Sammy, but your answer just supplied the final piece to a puzzle that has been plaguing me for three years." He shook his head again and chuckled. "Of all the wild and crazy conclusions I came to, this one never occurred to me." Again he shook his head, chuckling. It was as though he was trying hard not to break out in that rolling laughter of a few moments ago. "I can now tell you, with near certainty, that not only is your Vincent married, but he has at least one child. A girl named Jennifer." Joe shook his head again in amazement at his own realizations. "I'm pretty certain that he has been married since a year ago last April." He looked up into her eyes. "And you have already met his wife."

This final declaration left her stunned. Joe knew Vincent's wife? Then it hit her. "Catherine Chandler?"

"It's the only way everything I know about Cathy **finally **makes sense. Everything I learned about you today is what made it all fall into place." He smiled at her, laughter still lurking behind his eyes. "I saw Cathy and Vincent together for a few minutes last Halloween. You just told me that what I saw was his true appearance, not a costume. That is the final piece that explains the reason behind all the secrecy, and you just confirmed it." Joe's expression was just as incredulous as hers when he began to tell Sammy about all the little clues that he had picked up along the way while working with Catherine. "And I'm certain it was Vincent that found her in the park that night she was attacked and left for dead." He chuckled. "Also, I'm pretty sure it was Vincent that carried me out of the Gabriel estate when it burned down. Which means Detective Diana Bennett also knows about Vincent, since she was there."

After he finished, she didn't quite know what to say to his revelation. "Everything you say makes sense." She shook her head.

Joe smiled. "There's still one nagging question, I have to ask though."

Sammy looked at him expectantly, waiting for his question.

"I understand the significance of Halloween now. It's the only time they can go out in public together without causing a riot. But, what is the significance of the Winter Solstice? I have never come up with any explanation that makes sense. Even now I still can't find a place for that piece of the puzzle."

Sammy Laughed. "That has to be Winterfest. That's when the whole community gets together with our friends from Above and celebrate. It's one **hell **of a shindig."

Joe could see the shadow of sorrow pass across her face as she continued to explain Winterfest to him. He realized that because of her asthma, she was not able to attend that or any important function down in those tunnels. Gently he put his arms around her and held her tight, trying to ease the sorrow he was sure she felt. "Tell you what. Lets get cleaned up and ready for bed." She visibly brightened at that suggestion. Joe grinned at her. "And tomorrow at lunch we will go visit Cathy and beard the lion in his den, so to speak. I'm sure Vincent will love to see you again and you can meet his daughter." Sammy was beaming now.

~ o ~

Much later, Sammy was curled up against Joe and sound asleep. Joe lay there marveling at this incredible gift that lay in bed next to him. The thing that amazed him the most was how much joy he got just from holding her as she slept. He gently brushed her hair back from her face as he began mulling over all of the things he had learned about her today.

Joe lay there thinking over all of the revelations of the day and remembering all of the odd incidents in Cathy's past. He found himself considering the odd correlations between those incidents involving Cathy and the various cases of animal like attacks that had occurred in recent years. Bits and pieces of half remembered cases swirled through his mind. Joe spent a couple of very dark hours as he lay there contemplating the implications of those occurrences, including a few violent deaths.

People had been maimed and even killed. Vincent had killed! He couldn't ignore that. If he exposed Vincent, it would destroy him and possibly his tunnel community. Joe also knew that it would probably also destroy his relationship with Sammy. More importantly it could destroy Sammy. And what would it do to Cathy and her daughter? Vincent's daughter. What would happen to her? He shuddered to think of what the government might do to little Jennifer, just because Vincent was her father. But, Vincent had killed! He had seen some of the pictures from those attacks. It had not been pretty. But Cathy is in love and happily married to him and Sammy loves him as her big brother. He knew both women and he couldn't see either of them loving something as vicious as the evidence suggested. Even if Vincent could justify himself, once his existence was known, it would be over for him.

For almost two hours Joe lay there, all these thoughts chasing each other around and around, as he agonized over what he should do. The euphoria of finally solving the puzzle of Cathy was replaced by the magnitude of the disaster looming before him. He was trapped between the horror of Vincent's victims and the despair of the shattered lives of those he cared the most about. Not since the death of his father had he felt so lost.

Finally he shook himself. This was useless he had to get a hold of himself and look at the situation coldly and logically. He got up from the bed, careful not to wake Sammy. He started to analyze what he knew logically as he paced back and forth mumbling to himself. He racked his brain, trying to remember all of the cases he had encountered. He smacked himself on the forehead when he remembered his 'Mysteries of New York' file. He padded over to his desk where he kept copies of all the strange or unexplained cases he had encountered while working at the DA office. It was a little hobby of his, like the mystery of Cathy game. That thought caused a stab of pain as he once again considered what was at stake.

He forced himself to settle down and began sorting through the files. First, he dealt with the subway slasher case. He remembered how worked-up Cathy got about that case, now he understood why, until she had traced them to Jason Walker of that Protectors group. He could throw those out. Next he threw out all suspected hoaxes unsubstantiated rumors and real animal attacks. Soon he had winnowed it down to just a few cases.

Sammy woke-up from a sound sleep with the feeling that something was wrong. Joe was not in the bed. Then she noticed him sitting across the room at his desk flipping through some folders. As she watched, he stood up and began to pace, all the while mumbling to himself. Joe had told her once about his collection of bizarre and unexplained cases. With a cold sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, she realized that Joe was wrestling with his conscience over Vincent. She had read in newspapers about a couple of cases that she was sure had involved Vincent, and, she was sure, Joe knew about others that she hadn't heard about. She also knew how seriously Joe took his position as a district attorney. She had been afraid of this since Vincent's name had been mentioned in Joe's presence. Now all she could do was watch Joe and wait for the inevitable. She felt tears forming for all she was about to loose as she lay there in quiet despair.

Unaware that Sammy was awake, Joe continued to pace as he contemplated the remaining cases. Careful examination of the remaining reports slowly convinced him that most of them had involved defending Cathy from very bad people. There was the case of the Silks, but the evidence showed that they had chained someone to that pipe and tormented him till he finally broke free. Vincent had been trying to escape from a vicious street gang.

Then he thought about Martin Belmont and the Mayfair Escort Service affair, Cathy's first big case. Cathy had assumed that she had been attacked by mistake so she had tracked down the intended victim. Three men died , viciously slashed (mauled, the police report said,) in that brownstone. But they had just brutally murdered Cathy's witness. And there was the unexplained load of groceries scattered at the bottom of the stairway, near the three bodies. After three years, he knew that Cathy would have brought groceries to her star witness. She must have arrived shortly after the murder, while those men were still there. They would have killed her.

Joe thought about what he would do to protect Sammy and how the law would see it. If he had a gun he would willingly use it to defend her. Gun, knife, teeth, claws. In the end they were all simply weapons. What really mattered was why they were used to kill.

Joe thought about the watcher. Again it appears that Vincent killed to save Cathy. He thought about Steven Bass. He had been insane but he got off light considering what he tried to do to Cathy.

More important to Joe was the effect Vincent apparently had on Cathy. For the last two years, Cathy had a glow about her that was undeniable. In the spirit of the law, Vincent was blameless. He had only been protecting someone he loved from some very deadly people. And to be perfectly honest, Vincent had been protecting someone Joe was very fond of as well. That may make him not guilty, legally, but if Vincent's existence became known, guilt or innocence would be meaningless.

It wouldn't be the first time he had not brought to court a case of obvious self defense. Suddenly a great weight was lifted from Joe's heart as he put away his files. He had finally come to terms with the situation. His solution was imperfect, but it was one his conscious could live with. And more importantly, it was one that those he cared most about could live with.

As Sammy lay there, quietly watching Joe, she saw the change come over him as he came to his decision. The tears of despair became tears of joy as she realized, from Joe's demeanor, that Vincent was safe and Joe's love for her would survive. As Joe climbed into bed with her, he put his arm around her fitting his body up against hers, never realizing that she had been awake and agonizing right along with him.

Finally Joe and Samantha were both able to fall asleep with their minds at peace.

~ o ~

Vincent and Catherine were still in bed, enjoying a lazy and even slightly romantic Saturday morning. It had been a very long night and thinking about it gave her a warm glow as she lay there marveling at the incredible gift that lay in bed next to her. It amazed her how much joy she got just from holding him and watching him as he slept. Vincent meanwhile was thinking the same thing about her. The phone rang and Vincent stirred as Catherine looked over at the clock. 10:42 am. With a sleepy groan she reached over to the night stand and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" ...  
"Joe?" ...  
"No. No plans." ...  
"What?" ...  
"Well ... ah ... uh" ...

She looked over at Vincent. He was now wide awake, having been alerted by the flood of conflicting emotions coming from her and the stunned look on her face.

"Ah ... Sure, I ... ah ... guess so." ...  
"Yea, I'll tell him. See you then."

She hung up the phone, the look on her face was as conflicted as her emotional state.

"Catherine?"

Finally she looked at Vincent. "That was Joe." She shook her head, trying to clear it. "He wants to bring Sammy over for lunch so she can meet Jennifer and see her old friend, Vincent." She looked at him surprised and stunned. "He said, and this is an exact quote, 'Tell the big fur-ball that I am also looking forward to finally meeting him face to ... ah ... face.' unquote." She looked him up and down. "Sounds like he has finally figured out about you." She got thoughtful. "I wonder if Sammy used the tunnels to get them from the band shell to our place."

Vincent shrugged then he touched her cheek. "That would certainly explain why her asthma was so bad last night." He glanced at the clock. "When are they supposed to get here?"

"Around one o'clock."

"Then I think we had better get ready for them." He gave her the self depreciating half smile she found so endearing. "If Joe and Sammy are really serious about each other then this was inevitable."

~ o ~

At one o'clock the taxi pulled up in front of Catherine's brownstone. Sammy was anxious. She still wasn't quite convinced that her Vincent could actually be married to Catherine Chandler. Vincent married to a beautiful, wealthy heiress and living in a place like this?

Joe was getting nervous as they got out of the taxi and headed up the front steps. He was almost certain that he was right, but there was that nagging doubt that it was all too ridiculous; like those Bigfoot tales. Either way it looked like he was finally going to meet Cathy's Vincent, and possibly Sammy's Vincent as well.

Catherine opened the door and invited them in. As they entered, Sammy was again in awe of the place. Joe was wondering where Vincent was. Joe and Sammy both noticed Vincent at the same time, standing over by the fireplace. With a joyous "Vincent." And a squeal, Sammy ran up to him and embraced him.

Then Vincent spoke. "Sammy! It is so **good **to see you!" Vincent returned the embrace. "It has been far too long since the last time."

Joe was amazed. Up until this instant he had not quite accepted the reality of Vincent. Up close and in bright light, he was far more powerful and ferocious looking than Joe had expected. But what Joe found most surprising was his voice. Joe was fascinated by it. It practically dripped great power, grace and intelligence but most surprising was that it also projected great gentleness.

Sammy looked over at Joe. "Joe, I want you to meet Vincent, the big brother I never had." Her grin was almost blinding in it's brilliance as she faced Vincent. "Vincent, I want you to meet Joe, the best thing that ever happened to me." Sammy disengaged from Vincent and returned to Joe's side. Inside she was quaking. '_I hope this goes well,_' she thought to herself.

Vincent nodded to Joe. "We **have** met once before but you were not conscious at the time." Catherine came over and hooked her arm around Vincent's waist as he continued. "But it is a pleasure to finally meet you face to ... ahem ... face."

"That **was** you that pulled Detective Bennett and me out of that fire, wasn't it." Joe was studying his face.

Vincent nodded. "It was."

Joe tentatively placed his hand on Vincent's shoulder. "I'm glad that I can finally say, thank you for saving my life." he then turned to Catherine. "Radcliffe, I always trusted that you had hidden little Naomi in a safe place and she appears to be doing very well there. I'm glad it was you that rescued her. Does that FBI agent know where she is?"

"He only knows that I have her hidden with some very close friends. In fact he is working on arranging for me to adopt her through a special function of the witness protection system. He said it would take another couple of months to get the paperwork pushed through, but after that she will be ours." Catherine's eyes sparkled as she asked. "Now that you're both here, would you like to see the twins?"

"Twins?" Joe and Sammy exclaimed simultaneously.

"Yes." She looked at Joe a bit contritely and there was a hint of worry in her face. "Joe, I only told you about Jennifer because her brother, Jacob, favors Vincent." She grabbed Vincent's hand and started for the stairs. "Be right back."

Joe watched them head up the stairs. Another piece fell into place as he looked at Sammy. "I think she's a little worried about how I will react to a child that looks like Vincent." He smiled at her. "I'll try to make you proud." He squeezed her hand.

Upstairs Catherine was oscillating between excitement and worry. She noticed Vincent watching her. "I'm happy to finally be able to show off both of my babies to Joe. I hope he accepts Jacob as well as he accepted Jennifer."

Vincent took both her hands in his and gave them a little squeeze. "Joe is a good man, Catherine. He accepted me without hesitation." He discounted the moment of _uncertainty _he had sensed when Joe got his first sight of him. "I think he will accept Jacob just as easily." He released her hands and reached into the crib.

Joe's attention returned to the stairs as Catherine and Vincent came back down with their small burdens. Vincent was carrying little Jennifer and Catherine was carrying little Jacob.

Sammy took one look and was practically bouncing. "Oh, Vincent. They're both so beautiful." She turned to Joe. "Joe, aren't they just too cute for words?"

As Sammy accepted Jacob from Catherine, Joe realized that he found little Jacob just as adorable as little Jennifer. "You'll get no argument from me," he replied as he put one arm around Sammy and tickled Jacobs chin with his free hand. "He is pretty incredible." Sammy had begun cooing over Jacob and soon Joe was following suit.

Catherine was ecstatic as she watched them both reacting to her son. It was turning out better than she had hoped. Vincent shifted over and stood on Sammy's other side. Soon all three were acting like silly children over the two babies, causing Catherine to giggle at the sight.

Catherine went into the kitchen and brought out two baby carriers that she set up at the dining room table. Then she began bringing out the lunch. Joe came in to help her while Vincent and Sammy continued to make silly noises over the babies.

Joe placed his hand on Catherine's shoulder. "Cathy, I did a lot of soul searching last night, once I figured out about Vincent. I want you to know that I understand why you felt you had to keep me out of the picture about him. You didn't want me to have to make a choice between you and the law. But I want you to know that there is no conflict here. Neither of you have done anything wrong. Self-defense is not illegal and we must consider the spirit of the law when we decide what we should do. Sometimes we let cases drop when a trial would accomplish nothing and end up doing more harm than good." He smiled at her. "I understand that Vincent's existence must be kept secret, especially from the bureaucracy. His innocence would not protect him once his existence was known." He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze and let his hand drop. He glanced back at Sammy. "I guess we've both been incredibly lucky to have found a perfect mate."

Catherine gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thank-you, Joe."

Alerted by the flood of _relief _and _happiness _coming from Catherine, Vincent looked over towards them, then began leading Sammy into the dining room. Joe frowned as they approached then he spoke up. "I do have one major problem with the current situation though."

All three looked at Joe with curiosity and just a trace of anxiousness. Sammy asked. "What do you mean?"

Shaking his head, Joe broke into a big grin. "What, in the world, am I going to do, to pass the time, now that the mystery of Catherine Chandler is finally solved?"

Sammy looked at Joe with her best shy innocent look. "I can think of something to help you pass the time." Sammy looked back down at the babies, Joe turned bright red, Vincent chuckled and Catherine busted out laughing.

_**The End**_

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'**Beauty and the Beast'** and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.


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